Chapter 8 The music of Phi
Penultimate stress
Find the penultimate syllable
Phi stresses the second-to-last syllable of every word. In shea, that is she. In lothea, it is the. The rule has no lexical exceptions.
| Word | Syllables | Stress pattern |
|---|---|---|
shea | she.a | she-a |
shiro | shi.ro | shi-ro |
lothea | lo.the.a | lo-the-a |
lumani | lu.ma.ni | lu-ma-ni |
mioru | mi.o.ru | mi-o-ru |
IPA places /ˈ/ immediately before the stressed syllable: shea is /ˈʃe̞.ä/ and lothea is /lo̞.ˈθe̞.ä/.
Applying the rule
Count the vowels to find the syllables, then step back one from the end. A one-syllable particle or base numeral has only one possible stress location.
- Two syllables:
sheabecomes she-a,shirobecomes shi-ro, andwomubecomeswo-mu. - Three syllables:
lotheabecomes lo-the-a,lumanibecomes lu-ma-ni, andthomaribecomes tho-ma-ri. - Four syllables: only a productive name may be this long, and its third syllable carries the stress.
The fixed rule removes one item from lexical memory. Once the syllables are right, the stress follows. It does not make every accent sound alike, nor should it.
What prominence sounds like
Speakers may mark a stressed syllable through a little more duration, a pitch movement, greater intensity, or some combination of these. Accents distribute those cues differently. Bold type in the examples locates prominence; it does not ask an English speaker to hammer the syllable into the table.
Stress does not distinguish Phi words or grammatical meanings. Moving it will sound noncanonical, but it will not turn a noun into a verb or a statement into a question.
Read these aloud with the penultimate syllable prominent:
shea(peace): she-amia thia lothea(I love you): mi-a thi-a lo-the-amioru shiro(a beautiful tree): mi-o-ru shi-ro
Keep the prominence audible without turning the regular pattern into a march.